Make Gilder Lehrman your Home for History

Why Gilder Lehrman?

Your subscription grants you access to archives of rare historical documents, lectures by top historians, and a wealth of original historical material, while also helping to support history education in schools nationwide. Click here to see the kinds of historical resources to which you'll have access and here to read more about the Institute's educational programs.

Individual subscription: $25

Click here to sign up for an individual subscription to the Gilder Lehrman site.

Summary of Content: Depicts the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, composed of African American soldiers, leading the charge upon Fort Wagner in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. One African American soldier carries a United States flag. Lists the names of Union officers involved in the battle, including Generals Quincy Adams Gillmore, George Crockett Strong, and Truman A. Seymour, and Colonels Robert Gould Shaw, John Lyman Chatfield, and Haldimand S. Putnam. Lists the number of Union troops lost as 1200, stating that 300 Confederate soldiers and 16 officers led by Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard were killed in the battle. To view a similar print of the Battle of Fort Wagner, created in 1863, refer to GLC02881.23.

Background: Kurz & Allison was a Chicago-based design and printmaking firm founded in 1885 and was well-known for its prints of historical events, particularly of the Civil War. Quincy Adams Gillmore was a Union General who was noted for his success in testing modern artillery at Fort Pulaski in Georgia. Truman A. Seymour was a Union General who fought at Fort Wagner. George Crockett Strong was a Union general originally from Vermont who died of tetanus as a result of wounds received at Fort Wagner. Colonel John Lyman Chatfield died as a result of gangrene from wounds suffered at Fort Wagner. Colonel Haldimand S. Putnam died during the battle. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw commanded the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry and also died in battle at Fort Wagner.